Apple Watch gets sleep tracking

Apple is adding sleep tracking to watchOS in watchOS 7. In addition to sleep tracking, there will be a “wind down” option for the optimal time to go to bed, with Do Not Disturb mode turning on.

The Apple Watch turns the screen off during the night and can wake the user with sounds or just taps from the vibration motor. The Watch uses sensors to track when users are sleeping. To let users get enough sleep, the Watch and iPhone choose a time to take it easy. Do Not Disturb turns on and the screen dims.

The Activity app is also called Fitness from now on and it will get a polished interface. In addition, there will be automatic detection for hand washing, where the Watch checks for certain movements whether it hears soap or running water and then displays a countdown from twenty seconds and also lets you know with a vibration and sound when those twenty seconds have passed.

In addition, it will be possible to share watch faces via a new button. Users can then manually install the apps associated with the watchface complication they received. The new version of the operating system will be released this fall, after a public beta next month. Version 7 of watchOS runs on the third-generation Apple Watch from 2017 and newer.